New Age mysticism runs rampant throughout FATE, an amorphous comedy-drama toplining writer-director Stuart Paul as Jake Blackburn, an easygoing LA writer who lives with his nutty-but-nurturing family in a shabby house wedged between looming skyscrapers.
The Blackburn homestead, of course, is meant to symbolize a homely alternative to stressful modern life. Get it? Jake meets and romances Chelly (Cheryl M. Lynn), a model whose California good looks hide a traumatic childhood of abuse and molestation by an alcoholic father. Jake and Chelly are a
happy West Coast couple at first; he's into ESP and astrology, while she digs mermaids and "sea spirits." But Chelly starts drinking heavily, acts promiscuous, wakes up screaming and talks casually of drowning herself. Jake fears that Chelly's psychological scars are more than even psychics can
handle, and when she goes into a schizoid frenzy he hits her. Chelly retaliates by moving in with a sleazy new boyfriend, while Jake howls to the night sky for a sign from God--or gods.
God obliges with a manifestation of Bohini, an ancient yogi who starts channelling through Jake's meddlesome mama, Judy (Kaye Ballard). Speaking with a vaudeville Hindu accent, Judy utters banalities like "Only through love can you get a love-energy connection," and performs some miraculous cures
on family members. "Everything in this world is so hard--yet it's so easy!" exclaims Jake, grokking. (For more on grokking, read Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.) On Bohini's cue Jake saves Chelly from her latest suicide attempt and they marry.
Oh there's more, much more, including the screenplay that Jake is doing, an Indian picture that finally goes before the cameras with the blonde Chelly in a caveman suit as a most unconvincing Native American. There's also a crazed horoscope "scientist," who, after Jake's star chart crashes a
computer, runs around shouting that the hero is blessed, fated, ordained, destined, the messiah--or something, never clearly delineated.
Whatever Bohini's therapeutic powers, he's a washout at healing ham performances, and the supporting cast generally mug like maniacs. Leading-man Paul tries hard to cultivate an amiable schnook persona, but the whole effort carries the distasteful odor of a vanity production. Only Cheryl M. Lynn
hits some of the right notes as the troubled Chelly, but for the wrong reasons; her line readings are so wooden and monotone that when this mannequin suddenly goes into ungovernable hysterics the contrast in character is truly disturbing.
Like the fictitious Blackburns, the Paul clan make movies a family activity, mixing trendy metaphysics with naive gropings at social issues in a karmic kitsch of Capra, Casteneda and MacLaine--that's Shirley Maclaine. 1988's EMANON starred Stuart as a Christ figure dwelling among the homeless,
while 1990's ETERNITY tackled reincarnation, media manipulation and toxic waste. FATE quickly followed them to the home-video afterlife. (Substance abuse, adult situations, profanity.) leave a comment
